# Coronary Circulation
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**Coronary circulation** is the portion of the [[cardiovascular system]] that brings oxygen to the [[cardiac muscle]] itself. The heart cannot work anaerobically, but neither can it sop up the blood that moves through it. The solution is that there is a network of special [[blood vessels]] that feed it.
>[!health] That's a lot!
The heart is 1/200 of one's bodyweight but it uses 1/20 of the blood.
The **coronary arteries** branch out directly from the [[blood vessels#The Great Vessels|aorta]], which is really convienient. This also means left sided heart problems can pretty quickly affect the bloodflow through these arteries and lead to ischemia.
The main arteries are:
- Left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- This branches into the next two, the LAD and the LCX
- Left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- In the diagram below it is called the "anterior intraventricular artery"
- This is the most recognized one because it supplies the most blood to the heart. This is why a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] of 100% blockage of the LAD is so deadly, it's referred to as the "widowmaker".
- Left circumflex artery (LCX)
- Right coronary artery (RCA)
The **coronary veins** merge up into the **coronary sinus** which drains directly into the [[heart#Gross Anatomy of The Heart|left atrium]].
![[coronary circulation.png]]
## Problems With Coronary Circulation
- [[coronary artery disease]] - it has it's own special disease!
- [[angina]] - when the coronary arteries become narrowed.
- [[myocardial infarction]] - a "heart attack", when the coronary arteries become blocked.
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